The 2022 edition of RX Global’s annual showcase, Arabian Travel Market (ATM), will focus on the future of international travel and tourism, as well as the expected obstacles and opportunities, for a resilient industry that is still coming to grips with the new normal.
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market said: “COVID-19 has dominated our lives since March 2020 and continues to do so in many parts of the world. However, although international travel and tourism has learnt from past experiences and adapted in some cases almost seamlessly, we now have an ideal opportunity to look ahead to the future of our industry.
“Dwelling too much on the pre-covid past, would not necessarily be productive, especially because so many industry parameters and social attitudes have since been completely reset.”
Curtis added, “Undoubtedly innovation through IoT, AI, AR, VR and improved connectivity overall, will change the face of our industry dramatically, however, there are other challenges, that we should address together and share industry best practice.
These issues include climate change and broader social challenges, as well as stakeholder attitudes towards equity in health, education and economic opportunity, particularly in the communities that we operate in.”
The event, which is now in its 29th year and is co-hosted by the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), will take place live and in-person at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from Sunday 8 to Wednesday 11 May.
A virtual edition will be held the following week, on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 May 2022, in the same format as in 2021. Destination summits focused on key source markets Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, and India, Travel Forward, the leading global event for travel technology that focuses on the latest, next-generation technology for travel and hospitality, ATM buyer forums and speed networking events, and Arival Dubai @ ATM – a dedicated in-destination forum will all be highlights of the show in 2022.
On the Global Stage, ATM 2022 will host dedicated conference summits on aviation, hotels, sports tourism, retail tourism, and a special hospitality investment seminar. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s leading business travel and meetings trade association, will be present at ATM once again. The GBTA will provide the most up-to-date business travel material, research, and education to help the industry recover and expand.
Through exhibitions, conferences, breakfast briefings, awards, product launches, and networking events, ATM will play a key role in Arabian Travel Week, a festival of events dedicated to travel professionals from around the world who will collaborate and shape the recovery of the Middle East travel industry.
The ATM 2021 live, in-person event was well received, with over 21,600 participants from 110 different countries, despite global travel and social constraints. During the virtual event, 30,790 profiles were created on the ATM Virtual platform, about 20,000 virtual face-to-face interactions were held, and over 6,600 conference views were recorded. To put those numbers in context, ATM, which is widely seen as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector by industry professionals, welcomed around 40,000 participants from 150 countries to its 2019 event.
– India’s new-age travel digital media
